TD Ballpark is the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Will Blue Jays have to play home games in Florida?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/11/21

On the same day that the Toronto Raptors confirmed that they will continue calling Tampa Bay home through the end of the 2020-21 NBA season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Toronto Blue Jays might have to spend at least several months playing home games at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida:

The #BlueJays equipment truck is heading to Dunedin, Fla., but it may be summer until they bring equipment back to Toronto. Players have been advised not to sign long-term leases as they await word whether they can open the season in Canada. If not, Dunedin is the likely location https://t.co/gpkJJuQOXU
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 11, 2021

As noted by Tampa television station WFTS, the Blue Jays spent more than $100 million renovating their TD Ballpark facilities but had little time to enjoy those improvements before MLB shut spring training down last March due to COVID-19. The club then temporarily relocated to Buffalo for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season because the border that separates Canada and the United States remained closed to non-essential travel.

Because of the travel restrictions, the NHL created a division made up only of Canadian clubs for its altered 2020-21 campaign. That, obviously, isn't an option for the other top-flight North American leagues.

With coronavirus vaccine rollouts occurring throughout the two countries, it seems likely the Blue Jays will eventually be able to host opponents at Rogers Centre in Toronto later this year. It appears, however, that players are planning to remain in the United States for the foreseeable future as they await clearance to return to Canada.

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